1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a control apparatus for a hull with a four-cycle engine installed thereon, and more particularly, to a new technique for stopping the engine when the hull is turned over.
2. Description of the Related Art
A known control apparatus for a hull with a four-cycle engine installed thereon uses a turnover detection switch of a pendulum type mounted on the hull of a marine vessel or ship, and a detection counter adapted to respond to the turnover detection switch, and continuously determines the count value of the detection counter for a fixed time, so that at the time when it is detected that the turnover detection switch has continuously been in a turnover state for a preset time, a determination is made that the hull of the ship is in a turnover state (see, for instance, a first patent document: Japanese patent application laid-open No. 2000-335486).
That is, in the known apparatus as described in the first patent document, the detection counter is incremented each time the turnover detection switch detects a turnover of the hull, and the detection counter is cleared to zero each time the normal state of the hull is detected, and the value of the detection counter reaches a predetermined value or above, the engine is caused to stop.
In the known control apparatus for the hull with the four-cycle engine installed thereon, there has been the following problem. That is, when the output of the turnover detection switch is momentarily changed into a normal side due to noise or the like, the detection counter is cleared in spite of the fact that the hull has been turned over, so the detection of the turnover state is determined as not having continued for the fixed time, and hence the detection counter is counted up again at that time, as a result of which a delay occurs in the detection of the turnover, thus giving rise to the possibility that the timing to stop the engine is accordingly delayed.